What degree did Donald Trump receive from Wharton School of Business?

1. The credential: what the records and mainstream reporting say

Publicly available reporting and biographical summaries uniformly state that Trump completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and received a Bachelor of Science in economics in May 1968 ^{[1] [2]}. Multiple reputable outlets repeating university-era facts and profiles about Trump’s education identify Wharton as his undergraduate business school and list the degree as a B.S. in economics ^{[1] [2]}. Sources that examine his claims note the basic fact of graduation while reserving judgment about his grades or class rank because Penn has not released detailed academic records ^[5].

2. What he did not get: no MBA, no public graduate credential

Contrary to some popular shorthand that conflates “Wharton” with an MBA, reporting makes clear that Trump did not receive a graduate business degree; his credential is an undergraduate Bachelor of Science in economics ^{[3] [2]}. Several fact-check and education-oriented writeups explicitly state that Trump never pursued an MBA at Wharton or elsewhere and that references to “Wharton” in his rhetoric are tied to his 1968 undergraduate degree ^{[2] [3]}.

3. The politics of a diploma: how Trump uses the Wharton name

Trump has repeatedly invoked his Wharton pedigree in campaigns and speeches, using the Wharton name to signal business credentials and to rebut political attacks; outlets have documented frequent mentions of Wharton in his public remarks ^{[4] [6]}. Journalistic pieces and university reporting describe a paradoxical relationship in which Trump touts the credential while Penn, and some faculty and administrators, have tried to avoid elevating his alumni status publicly—Penn tour guides were reportedly instructed to give short answers when asked about Trump’s attendance ^[5].

4. Disputes and controversies tied to admission and honors, not the degree itself

Beyond the simple fact of the degree, there have been controversies and calls for investigation that do not change the historical record of graduation: commentators and some Wharton faculty have urged investigations into allegations about standardized-testing irregularities tied to Trump’s admission decades earlier, and commentators have debated whether the school should symbolically disassociate from him or revoke honors awarded later by other institutions ^[7]. Reporting emphasizes that revoking an undergraduate degree is not a straightforward administrative action and that such debates are largely normative and political rather than documentary disputes about the diploma ^[7].

5. Institutional context: Wharton’s brand and nomenclature

Coverage also clarifies how Wharton’s name is invoked: Trump frequently called it the “Wharton School of Finance,” a label Wharton stopped formally using in 1972, which creates occasional confusion among audiences about exactly what credential he holds ^[8]. Journalists and alumni observers note that Wharton’s reputation as an elite business school amplifies the political and cultural value of that undergraduate degree even though it is not a graduate MBA ^{[9] [8]}.

6. What this reporting does not settle

While the sources agree on the degree type and graduation year, they also report that Penn has not publicly released Trump’s detailed academic record or class rank, leaving some claims about his GPA or honors status unresolved in the public record ^[5]. Assertions about specific grades, class position, or alleged misconduct at the time of admission are discussed in commentary and calls for inquiry but are not settled facts contained in the cited reporting ^{[5] [7]}.